If all of us were to be honest, easily over half of the employed population would admit that they are shackled to their economic roles in an everyday grind in pursuit of economic independence. We all want the good life. The three grand vacations a year, eating out, the timeless wardrobe… On average, three out of every four employed people are only working to sustain their lifestyle and not because they like their jobs.
We’ve all experienced the ‘Monday blues’. That feeling of sadness when you realize that the weekend is over and the workload on your desk is still there. However, some people experience everyday blues. The Clearest Proof Yet That Your Job Is Killing You gives the following pointers to help you know if you’re well on your way to becoming an economically shackled zombie;
- Family
If your case is very serious, then at one point or the other, your spouse/partner has woken up quite shaken solemnly swearing that there’s a stranger in the bed, namely, you. Or your child has stared at you quite quizzically when you tried to explain you are his/her father/mother. If you’re becoming a stranger to your family and friends, only seeing them on weekends and therefore missing out on all the important dates such as birthdays and anniversaries, then it is about time you evaluated your priorities because your job is killing you.
- Insomnia
If you spend the majority of nights staring at the clock willing the time to fly and morning to come just so you don’t have to remain sleepless any longer, then your job is much more worse than a stark raving psycho and will murder you when you least expect it. Depending on all manner of sleeping pills to induce rest and spending the office hours sipping on cup after cup after cup of caffeine with bloodshot eyes is a sure sign of work-related stress. Burn out is on the rise as a top killer in the workplace.
- Frequent illness
Lower back pain, flu, migraines, arthritis, neck strain, ear infections and the list goes on. If you’re constantly in and out of a hospital for one reason or the other then a thorough check-up might trace all this back to your workplace. Sitting long hours at your desk in horrible postures or being hunched over your computer for hours at a time and working in unsavory conditions could cause you to suffer a myriad of infections. Similarly, stress manifests itself in different ways in the body one of them being illnesses. Your job may be paying for the health insurance cover, but all that will be in vain when you’re dead.
- Effort-reward imbalance
If you’re genuinely a high achiever; always meeting deadlines, increasing company sales, being punctual at work, giving ideas that increase the profit of the organization and what-not yet at the end of the month the figures on your paycheck hardly reflect the effort you put into your work then you’re experiencing the above-mentioned imbalance. Studies have shown that this type of imbalance quickly translates to frustration and the end result is burn out and in extreme cases mental illness. Should you ever feel under-appreciated then maybe it’s time to move on to greener pastures.
- Constant inactivity
This is probably one of the worst ways in which your job may be killing you because it will be a slow and painful death. If your work demands that you remain seated over extended periods of time with hardly any time set aside for breaks then more often than not you will choose to quickly snack on junk food before continuing with your work. This lack of inactivity paired up with increased intake of processed foods will eventually lower your metabolism and subsequently increase your waistline. Apart from causing you to have an unsightly outlook, this will, in turn, lead to a whole lot of problems with diabetes, obesity, hypertension and heart disease topping the list.
- Sexual problems
Pressures of the workplace may eventually kill your sexual buzz. Stress, over-illumination from fluorescent bulbs and time away from home are proven factors that may lead to a decrease in sexual function. Such interferences may eventually render you infertile if not kept in check as soon as they come up. Female employees may suffer miscarriages and premature deliveries because of extended periods of standing up or heavy lifting. If you are experiencing these problems then your job may be encroaching on your life with the aim of killing you as well as destroying the relationship you have built with your partner.
- Lack of concentration and/or boredom
Studies show that even periods of short-time stress may take quite a perilous toll on parts of the brain dedicated to learning and memory, this degeneration of brain cells may accelerate the effects of old age such as dementia and amnesia. High levels of tedium may as well cause you to suffer strokes which could cause death. Lack of concentration can easily be seen through desk clutter which kills general productivity and inhibits mental clarity. In the long run, these two as well may culminate in mental disorders.
These are some of the ways your chosen line of work may be sending you to an early grave. An honest evaluation should tell you whether it’s time to make a change. There will never be a reason important enough to justify living cuffed to a desk just because the bills must be paid. Think outside the box, weigh the pros and cons and make the healthy choice.
Image via www.slideshare.net.
